Carwash wraparounds are generally complex devices having elaborate control systems. Wraparounds were developed so that one brush can replace many of the rotating brushes used in a carwash. A wraparound is capable of washing the front of the car, moving along one side of the car as the car passes the brush assembly and then wrapping around the rear of the car to wash the rear.
In the past, the wraparounds have been mounted on large stands with a pair of arms extending from the top and bottom of the stands with a rotating brush supported between the top and bottom arms. These systems tend to be extremely bulky, and the necessity of top and bottom arms doubles the number of bearing surfaces requiring maintenance and contributing to possible system failure.
It has been proposed that the bottom arm could be removed with the brush supported from the top arm. However, these systems still need a large support from which to hang the brush out of the path of the car.
Another concern of previous carwash brush wraparound designs has been in the control mechanism. Previous wraparounds required complicated control systems to move the brushes from the front to the sides of the car. Because of their design complexities, the systems were expensive and required extensive maintenance.
Another problem with prior art wraparounds involves movement of the brush and arm. Force is needed to accelerate the brush, but it is advantageous to keep the driving mechanism small for cost and size reasons.
Another problem has been the effectiveness of washing the bottom of the sides of a car. These frequently curve inside, and such parts as the fender bottom and the top of the side windows may not be reached by the brush of prior art brushes. The profile of the side of a car also changes from front to rear, and it has been difficult to accomodate the changes.
Another problem, although minor, has been in lubricating the brush. Because it is constantly rotating and is subject to large volumes of water and detergent, it must be lubricated relatively frequently.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to simplify the wraparound brush system of a carwash. Simplification, according to the present objects involves eliminating as much of the arm hardware as possible as well as reducing the size and complexity of the driving mechanism and the control system. Another object of the present invention has been to increase the efficiency with which the wraparound brush moves between various positions at the same time utilizing as simple a drive system as possible. Another object of the present invention is to provide a carwash system that will effectively wash the bottoms of the sides of cars especially the rocker panel area and compensate for changes in the profile of the side. These objects also lead to an additional object of reduction of maintenance to the automated wraparound.